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Art Resource, NY/© 1998 Artists Rights Society, (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Aglow with the glory of God. After he encounters God on Mount Sinai, Moses’ face shines, and his brother Aaron and the Israelites are afraid to go near him (Exodus 34:29–30). This is similar to the way Jesus’ face glows in the presence of God during the Transfiguration. Other elements in the Transfiguration episode are found in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature: the mention of tents to shelter Jesus, Elijah and Moses, the luminous garments all wear, even the very words God speaks are pre-saged in Jewish tradition. The midrash on Psalm 43 even places Moses, Elijah and the Messiah together in a story.